WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, November 12, 2009--On behalf of the Honourable Jim Prentice, Canada’s Environment Minister and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, Ms. Shelley Glover, Member of Parliament for St. Boniface, today unveiled a Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada plaque commemorating Gabrielle Roy as a person of national historic significance and Maison Gabrielle-Roy, her family home in St. Boniface, as a national historic site. The plaque will be erected at Maison Gabrielle-Roy.
“Gabrielle Roy was a master story-teller and literary pioneer whose work achieved both critical and popular acclaim,” said Ms Glover. “The Government of Canada is proud to recognize and celebrate the national historic significance of this great Canadian novelist in 2009, the 100th anniversary of her birth.”
A second Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada plaque also commemorating Gabrielle Roy will be installed in the Saint-Henri district of Montreal, Quebec. Inspired by this working class neighbourhood, Roy’s first novel, The Tin Flute (Bonheur d’occasion), presented a harshly realistic picture of the lives of many urban French Canadians. It was a resounding success, and garnered Gabrielle Roy fame, the Governor General’s Literary Award and the French Prix Femina – a first for a Canadian novel.
Gabrielle Roy is one of Canada’s most highly respected, widely read, and studied authors of the 20th century. An innovative pioneer of social realism in Canada, she broke dramatically from the established literary traditions of the time to explore the gritty realities and anxieties of the modern world. Her works drew on memories of her life in Manitoba, reflecting universal themes such as family, sorrow and loss, freedom and responsibility, the search for self, identity, and creative expression. Gabrielle Roy’s immense gift for writing and her deep humanity have contributed to the enduring nature her work. She received many honours and literary awards both nationally and internationally including being made a Companion of the Order of Canada in 1967.
“Gabrielle Roy has earned a literary reputation that is pan-Canadian. She was remarkable and significant as a writer who is equally well-known among francophone and anglophone Canadians,” said Minister Prentice. “The recognition of the historic significance of both Gabrielle Roy and Maison Gabrielle-Roy is a lasting tribute to the author and her tremendous literary legacy that continues to engage and move readers today.”
The family home where Gabrielle Roy was born in 1909 and where she lived until 1937 was the heart of a vibrant world of people and experiences that deeply inspired her writing. Roy described and idealized the house, located at 375 Deschambault Street, in several of her works, particularly Street of Riches (Rue Deschambault). The house is now a museum, Maison Gabrielle-Roy, dedicated to the author and her work. Its educational and entertaining programming enables young people, researchers, and the general public to learn more about the author, her works, and her influence.
Parks Canada manages a nation-wide network of national historic sites that commemorate persons, places and events that have shaped Canada’s history and which offer visitors the opportunity for real and inspiring discovery. Parks Canada works to ensure that Canada’s historic and natural heritage is presented and protected for the enjoyment, education, appreciation and inspired discovery of all Canadians, today and in the future.
Information:
Frédéric Baril
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of the Environment
819-997-1441
Lianne Roberts
Executive Services/Media Relations Officer
Manitoba Field Unit
Parks Canada
204 984-1758
